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RAF Little Rissington is a RAF Station in Gloucestershire, England. It was once home to the Central Flying School, the Red Pelicans and the Red Arrows.

Built during the 1930s, RAF Little Rissington was opened in 1938 and was finally closed in 1994. The married-quarters (now known as Upper Rissington) and main technical site were both sold in 1996 but the airfield has been retained by the Ministry of Defence and remains active along with some of the southern technical sites, under the operational control of HQAC at RAFC Cranwell.

RAF Little Rissington is now home to 637 Volunteer Gliding Squadron who provide basic flying training for the Combined Cadet Force and Air Training Corps cadets. The airfield is also used by the forces as an emergency landing strip, a training area and a parachute training area.

From the beginning and into War:

During the build-up to WWII, the then Air Ministry constructed many major airfields across the UK and RAF Little Rissington was one of these airfields. RAF Station Little Rissington (known to all as Little Rissi) opened mid 1938, comprising the domestic site and a grass airstrip. During 1942, three asphalt runways were laid. Extra land was added to accommodate Sites A to E. In 1944 the main runway extended, and runways 09/27 and 14/32 were extended easterly and south-easterly respectively.

Throughout the war RAF Little Rissington accommodated No.6 Service Flying Training School and No.8 Maintenance Unit. Hundreds of aircraft were parked in its dispersal areas.

Central Flying School - 1946 to 1976

In spring 1946 the RAF Central Flying School moved to Little Rissington. The airfield also became the home to the RAF's aerobatics teams which included the Red Pelicans and later the Red Arrows. The airfield was expanded during this period, and a new fire station and control tower were built.

The Army moved in in 1977 until 1979 renaming the place Imjim Barracks

After RAF Central Flying School's departure to RAF Valley, the airfield was used by the Army, and with the arrival of the Royal Irish Rangers Little Rissington became "Imjim Barracks". New "owners" move in in 1981 through 1993 With the arrival of the United States Air Force in Europe, Little Rissington became the largest military contingency hospital in Europe. The aerodrome was cleared for C-130 Hercules and the huge C5 Galaxies aircraft. During the first Gulf War, Little Rissington was on its highest readiness state as it made ready for casualties. The USAF left Little Rissington in 1993 and it was finally handed back to the Royal Air Force.

Sadly and enevitably Little Rissi was identified as surplus to requirements by the then Conservative Government and the entire site was put up for sale. The bulk of the station were eventually sold to a property developer which saw the development to what is there today: a business park.

Life in the Old Dog Yet . .

Following a recent MoD Review, the planned disposal of the remaining parts of RAF Little Rissington was halted, so the future of the base was miraculously secured. Some of the remaining original buildings received minor upgrades (slightly more than a jankers lick of paint). By the end of 2006, an civilian aircraft maintenance firm called 'Devonair' moved in under an agreement with the MoD.

So today, RAF Little Rissington is on the map again and is again an active base for flying training, and aircraft maintenance. With cuts here there and everywhere happening our beloved RAF Little Rissington is steadily becoming more active for military flying and ground training. Remarkably quite a lot of the original station infrastrucure remains still almost untouched, though sadly the control tower and several hangars have been knocked down.

RAF Little Rissington has now been guaranteed a Core RAF Site up to 2030. While nothing has yet been confirmed, RAF Little Rissington may well act as a Satellite base to RAF Brize Norton (12 miles away) supporting Hercules training and maintenance. It may also fit the role as satellite base to RAF Benson, as a diversion landing for helicopter training, and may also provide relief storage facilities for RAF Lyneham.